ElenaO

Yes, for sure. I do mindfulness meditation often. Planning to do a retreat, as I am leaving for Thailand very soon.

Thank you! Will do that next time I am observing my emotions. I fully realized just recently that I am a serious emotional eater. I've never paid attention to it. I always thought I just like food and that's why I am overeating and indulging. That's like my biggest "sin" at the moment. I also lose control and binge on things (including watching series) when I feel some emotions which are obviously out of my comfort zone. Or to be more exact, when I try to escape these emotions. For example, being in the center of attention, public speaking, etc.

Hm, not sure I understood to whom was this addressed. I've heard of shadow work, but haven't done research on it yet. What do you know about it?

Seriously? I think I've experienced all of them. But most of my day is centered around the pride and anger categories

Well, you gotta say only if you mean it.

I am waking up in the middle of the night way too often for the last couple of months. It's all the fear and worries that come up from my subconscious. Consciously I know I have nothing to worry about but how do I stop the thoughts coming from somewhere beyond me? Meditation definitely helps. But sometimes I am way too exhausted physically and mentally to be aware. I am sure it will resolve in the near future, though. I am flying to Amsterdam tonight with my boyfriend. Let's see what we'll discover there

@Charlotte Please be careful with your nutrition. If you remove the meat completely you have to remember to supplement with the necessary nutrients.

I totally agree. I have the same exact outcome when I start eating something I "shouldn't" be eating.

There's so much drama and manipulation going on at work. I am just amazed how does this whole organization work. The thing that bothers me the most is the fact that I am involved in that myself I am well aware that my desire to get the last money I can makes me weak. In fact, it hurts my self-esteem quite badly. But I feel like I am out of control in this one. But also the idea of wasting my time at home the last days before my trip doesn't sound wise either. So I have to pretend everything's fine and continue working. In the meanwhile my anger and resentment just grows...

Thanks, I will check it out

Hey, I am sorry to hear you have all those symptoms. It might be indeed some inflammation in your body. I would recommend eating clean for some time and seeing if it helps. Ideally, it would be a 30 day plan. I might be biased, because I myself follow the Paleo lifestyle, but I think it's worth checking this out. Try the whole 30. It's about eating clean (no grains, no dairy, etc.) and then slowly reintroducing some food to see what triggers your inflammation. Get well

Being relaxed around people and not feeling that someone might "attack" me at any moment takes an extra effort. But it's so powerful. I do notice that when I practice this I manage to feel so much happier and in the flow. What I realize is that I am not assertive around people I don't know very well. Specifically those that have a "higher status" in my eyes. I have no idea why. Even among some of my friends I cannot defend my own rights. And it drives me crazy. Today I was sitting on the train and there were two kids across me banging their legs against the sit. They were touching my pants with their shoes. Their mom was on the phone and didn't really pay attention to them. I didn't have courage to tell her to take any action. Afterwards I had this feeling of hopelessness that I couldn't deal with the situation. I know I can sometimes, but it takes so much effort.

Did today an hour of meditation. Haven't noticed any serious effect. I was aiming at not moving and doing the "Do nothing" technique. It wasn't exactly a strong determination sitting as I was moving my eyes. I also swallowed several times, moved my back because it was hurting. I do realize now that the time you devote to meditation doesn't matter that much after all. Quality over quantity. And mindfulness meditation has been the most effective for me so far.

I bought a one-way ticket to Thailand today I'm going in one month! That's it. At least something is decided. I am quitting and going traveling for a couple of months. I'm wondering how to make this trip about self-actualization and serious self-development. It can get pretty comfortable if I just stick to the regular plan. I must set up some minimal goals for the trip which I absolutely have to accomplish.

@Key Elements I agree, it will always be a challenge to be around people. Unless you stop caring too much about their opinions. Today I had a small breakthrough in this respect. I just let myself relax around others. I do realize that a lot of tension is created by me caring about being judged. Dropping this habit requires a lot of concentration and awareness.

I was surprised to notice that I suddenly had exciting feelings and motivation to do things yesterday after talking with my boss. That's unexpected, because lately I haven't felt any of it. Nowadays I am rarely motivated by anything. I guess the idea of losing a well paying job and the opportunity of going to travel to some third world country lit some fire under my butt. The decision is yet to be made, but I am pretty excited (and surely scared!) about the upcoming changes. Have to be honest that I felt quite weak during my negotiations with the boss. I tend to give away control to my managers. And it sucks. Got to work harder at this.

I wonder what are you doing on the dates that they reject you. Could you describe what are your actions?

Are you sure she has no expectations of your relationship? Maybe she actually likes you and she is just being jealous because you went to see another girl?

What do you mean deeper? I guess you are suggesting that it's broader than just writing a book? And what do you mean by it being strategically right?

Do you think you could be just friends? Also, wanted to say that it's awesome that you've had the courage to tell her about your feelings! Unfortunately, this seems to be a rare phenomenon.

Why don't you ask her directly why has she texted you if she said she isn't interested? Perhaps, she's afraid to lose you as a friend. Also women often like when men like them, so maybe she wants to get your attention even if she's not interested. Just my own thoughts. Doesn't mean that that's the case for you.

That's an interesting point. I know that I am, for instance, overly empathetic in life. And I do notice that this doesn't actually help me - it hurts me. But I would like to hear your definition of empathy as a negative trait.

That's exactly what I notice for myself. I think it's the ego playing tricks on us.

I am trying to switch to a low carb diet and I was checking the macro contents of parmesan cheese. It seems that there's 0 grams of carbs in it. I am wondering how much is too much of parmesan? Can you eat any amounts of it without getting fat? This doesn't sound logical, but I hear from the low carb/keto community that fat is not a problem, carbs are.

Thanks for such a detailed list @Pelin ! The thing is, I love to eat. You are saying you can eat as much cheese as you want. Well, see, I can literally eat like 200 grams of cheese if I am hungry enough. Together with the eggs and a salad. Of course, I would feel quite full after it, but I will still eat my lunch, only later than usual. I don't eat grains usually. Only occasionally and if there's nothing else available. But I am huge lover of fruits, so I could very easily overeat on those. Do you consume any fruits at all?